Wednesday afternoon we had a SJ lesson with Mark at Parwood. I said we needed to work on getting the right canter and keeping a rhythm rather than worrying about strides. We started over a x-pole, then upright then oxer. He asked me which was the most useful jump he did for a warmup and I didn't know but he said it was the upright that he got slightly close to and had to really use himself to get over so that was useful to know.
We then strung together a few related distances and a one stride double concentrating on keeping him flowing forwards, especially around the turns and not giving him too long a run up to a fence but to use the corner beforehand to have him into the outside rein and sit him back on his hocks. We did a combination on a curve which he walked for me on 5 strides. I got the first part ok, got halfway to the second part and thought I was going to struggle to get there on 5. I really really wanted to hang onto his mouth for 6 but I was really proud of myself for putting my leg on instead and reaching it on a nice 5 on an open, forward stride and he cleared it brilliantly. Mark said he is a horse who needs to go with his head up to keep the engine coming through from behind and that he jumps better off an open, forwards stride which is good to hear. I knew the first bit but the second bit should make me even more determined to ride forwards and not hook him back and kill the canter.
We finished round a tricky, twisty course and the first time I messed up the sharp right turn to the related 3 strides, held him to the first part, got in far to deep and had to chase for 3 strides (although I didn't hold for 4 so that's something at least!) and he had it down, then came through the double and turned the wrong way so we stopped and regrouped. I got the turn to the related distance wrong because it was a sharp right turn and he tried to take off with me across the school before that so ended up pulling him round and leaving his engine in the next county. We did the course again and got that bit better, did the double ok, remembered to turn right, did the horrid right turn to oxer across the centre of the school angling it slightly and totally didn't ride forward round the turn and held him for a short one - not ridiculously short, but not the open stride we'd been working on. Then had a sharp left turn before the related 5 stride distance to finish which again rode easily forwards on 5. I felt he jumped well and forwards although he was a little stuffy over some of the smaller jumps and felt I had to carry him a bit - the bigger ones felt no problem.
I need to work on:
- getting this forwards rhythm more consistent
- resisting that temptation to hook (or to chase) but just to keep the forwards rhythm
- remember the outside aids round the curves/corners.
- balancing him better around the sharper corners
- thinking ahead
warmup jump:
oxer after the curved 5 stride distance:
upright - 1st part of the curved 5 stride distance
dice jump:
looking for my oxer on the curved line:
2nd part of double: 
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